A model-strengthened imaging biomarker for survival prediction in EGFR-mutated non-small-cell lung carcinoma patients treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (Q2035774)

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) may be successful for a time in the treatment of EGFR-mutated non-small-cell lung carcinoma, but the long-term efficacy is hard to estimate. The objective is to find biomarkers that can predict patient survival time. The study includes 17 patients, each with one CT scan of the primary tumor taken before TKI introduction, and two after. An imaging biomarker based on evolution of texture heterogeneity between the first and the third exams is derived and computed from a mathematical model and patient data. There is a statistically significant correlation between survival time and this marker (\(p = 0.006\)). Using the ROC curve, the patients are separated into two populations, and the comparison of the survival curves is statistically significant (\(p = 0.025\)). This exploratory study indicates that it may be possible to obtain a survival assessment using only few CT scans of the primary tumor.